How widespread was sharecropping in the South in the late 1800s? All the Southern states had sharecropping on more than half their farms.
All the Southern states had sharecropping on less than half their farms.
Sharecropping varied from state to state, but it was common in many places.
Sharecropping varied from state to state, but it was never very common.

Sharecropping varied from state to state, but it was common in many places.

Explanation:

With the Civil War having ended slavery, Southern states still needed cheap labor to work on their farms and so they turned to sharecropping. As most of the South was plantation based, sharecropping took hold in many places.

Sharecropping however varied from state to state based on local laws and norms. In some areas, the sharecroppers were more at a disadvantage due to the laws passed by the state and this led to a lot of them living in abject poverty.

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